Iffy-Caradoc Posted November 22, 2012 Share Posted November 22, 2012 Hi Folks, I've used clay pebbles for over twenty grows now & have had few problems with them. I clean them after every grow, on the hydro table with a big scrubbing brush to get all the roots off. I block the channels at the foot of the table with plastic mesh & it's easy to rinse them off with a hose. Then empty & clean the res, pull out the mesh & the pebbles flow into the res for the soak. I use a big plastic sieve to get em out again. I change the pebbles after 5 grows or if I've had any sign of problems (root rot etc). I hadn't thought of pre-soaking them in the nutrient solution, that's thinking outside the box for you. Stay safe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slag121 Posted December 11, 2012 Share Posted December 11, 2012 WOW! I have "Reclaimed my Hytron pebbles 2x. plain H2o soak & agitation in a bucket with a paddle. never used bleach! soaked them a week in Hygrozyme. poured boiling water over them. thats it! I tried nuking my clone plugs to sterlize them, kinda a bad plan. that was rough on them. will replace those from now on. In Preping the new Hytron, I just soaked & rinsed several times, then,soaked in ph'ed RO water & splashed some weak nute mix over them & got buzy filling cups! I ALWAYS wash the dirt or starter pellets crap off the roots just prior to loading them in the pots. DO NOT want foigen matter in the sprayer oriffices or providing sites thru out the sytem for bacteria to start. MY ROOTS ARE BARE IN THE CUPS. Slag Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slag121 Posted December 11, 2012 Share Posted December 11, 2012 Laph' , I must salute you! well written & comprehensive bit of typing!! outstanding Reps to you. I am going to have to copy & paste your "treatise" for reference. Slag Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laphroaig Posted December 12, 2012 Share Posted December 12, 2012 Cheers m8, it's a work in progress, my regimen has changed allot, mainly through laziness, but the results I'm getting are better than ever, it's mainly due to my "dialling in" the environment over the past 12 months using the knowledge of electrics I've gained here. However there are significant changes I've made that makes it psychologically less challenging and therefore more likely to get done in a timely fashion. The first thing I found was there's allot of loose stuff on top that never gets root bound which you can separate whilst cropping. This also aids the drying out of the root bound medium left behind and because the roots are now visible you get a far better idea of when they are ready to be shaken to dislodge the pebbles without having to break them in the process. You also have less volume of pebbles to separate from root matter when they do dry out. I've become less and less concerned with the residual root matter over time, to the point where after treating the pebbles for my current grow with H2O2 I didn't even bother rinsing them through with a hose pipe. Instead I just cleaned the crap directly out of the nutrient tank with a small aquarium filter after they went in the system. Now admittedly I was rinsing the filter out daily for the first week (and it was so bunged up the first few times I cleaned it that it had stopped moving any water) but it's a damn sight less hassle than running 24 pots under a hosepipe for 2-3 minutes each. Now I'm five weeks in and have just done my second nutrient change and the mix is crystal clear. So don't worry about the old roots, last time I left a good half in and there's been no detrimental effects as a result, just make sure they get a good dose of H2O2 before they go into the system and you're peachy, I always use an enzyme throughout the grow anyway so as far as I'm concerned they are just another food supplement. Peace Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bighacks Posted December 27, 2012 Share Posted December 27, 2012 hi guys my mates just started using these silicon stone like pebbles.hes been recomended by a shop but has any one else used these kind off pebble??would appreciate any info Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eye 1 der Posted December 27, 2012 Share Posted December 27, 2012 hi guys my mates just started using these silicon stone like pebbles.hes been recomended by a shop but has any one else used these kind off pebble??would appreciate any info diahydro? if so EXPENSIVE pH a little high but great cation exchange and keeps the gnats off, i use it as a top dress provides silicon for the plants too Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lacky Posted September 21, 2013 Share Posted September 21, 2013 If i were cleaning old pebbles I'd soak in a solution to kill all the old root matter first like h202 then yes mate as the above Owd hi, im new a brummy but in spain, if you re use clay pebles do a final rins with a 2 to 1 mix of hydregen proxide 3% it will kill any bacteria, 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slag121 Posted February 8, 2014 Share Posted February 8, 2014 I def flush well NEW pebbles! & U I soak them in Ph corrected H2o. thats it, much success!! I reuse teh pebble & again & again!! soak them a week in Hydro Emzse & then in H2O2. final wash in Ph corrected H2o. I have on several occasions started seed in soil. when its time to relocate to 4" airbasket & hygton pellets , I wash ALL teh soil off prior to inserting in the clay pellets. great success, & zero crap in my system Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GreenVision Posted June 19, 2014 Share Posted June 19, 2014 Nice topic, just what I needed to know. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hazeydaze Posted July 17, 2014 Share Posted July 17, 2014 thanks 4 info Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BLUE DANOOB Posted November 21, 2016 Share Posted November 21, 2016 Great post, gave me some things to think about. Now to put it into effect:) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Higgi85 Posted August 18, 2019 Share Posted August 18, 2019 On 13/08/2009 at 11:45 AM, Owderb said: If i were cleaning old pebbles I'd soak in a solution to kill all the old root matter first like h202 then yes mate as the above Owd Alright mate your advice as been priceless for me thanks.I’m using canna aqua clay pebbles this grow.what advice have you got for running the drip system I’m unsure if it’s when lights on only and is it constant any advice would be grateful thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
awpd Posted May 16, 2020 Share Posted May 16, 2020 On 8/13/2009 at 11:28 AM, Owderb said: Ive already done a thread on the preparation of rockwool so now its the turn of clay pebbles Although pretty much similar this is how I do mine First off i take the full bag of pebbles and burst loads of holes in the bottom 6 inch of the bag while standing it in the bath. I then turn the shower on to the coldest setting(cos more water comes out) and rinse the bag through for about 5 minutes. This gets rid of most of the crap I then as with the blocks soak them in ph 5.6 water for 24hrs preferably bubbled at around 20 degrees Tip all the water away and replace with a mild nutrient solution with an ec and ph of which you intend starting your plants on. As long as they have around 12 hours soaking in this solution they will be fine Your pebbles should then be nice and clean and ready to go into any system you wish, in fact even after soaking in just ph water your pebbles can be used, I just like to get a bit of nutrient into them Hope this helps Owd Hi, Would there be any issues with prepping the Clay Pebbles like this in advance? Ideally I'd like to prepare the setup a week before transplanting the seedlings. Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
QQ710 Posted August 4, 2020 Share Posted August 4, 2020 Thanks, Owd Owderb. 11 years ago you posted this and I see you are still here giving good advice - cheers dude. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
photobat Posted December 7, 2020 Share Posted December 7, 2020 On 13/08/2009 at 11:28 AM, Owderb said: Ive already done a thread on the preparation of rockwool so now its the turn of clay pebbles Although pretty much similar this is how I do mine First off i take the full bag of pebbles and burst loads of holes in the bottom 6 inch of the bag while standing it in the bath. I then turn the shower on to the coldest setting(cos more water comes out) and rinse the bag through for about 5 minutes. This gets rid of most of the crap I then as with the blocks soak them in ph 5.6 water for 24hrs preferably bubbled at around 20 degrees Tip all the water away and replace with a mild nutrient solution with an ec and ph of which you intend starting your plants on. As long as they have around 12 hours soaking in this solution they will be fine Your pebbles should then be nice and clean and ready to go into any system you wish, in fact even after soaking in just ph water your pebbles can be used, I just like to get a bit of nutrient into them Hope this helps Owd So i think i know the answer but just to be sure, with new clay pebbles do i set the water ph at 5.6 and then add the pebbles or as i suspect add the pebbles then ph down to 5.6 ? Would you expect the ph to keep rising through tout the 24hrs and have to keep adding and stirring in ph down ? Will the pebbles stabilise at a ph value ? What ph would you like the the pebbles to stabilise too ? Thanks in advance Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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